Goal 1: Develop a strong relationship with every student.
- I feel that throughout these past 12 weeks I have learned as much as possible about my students through conversations with them, their parents, and other teachers. What I think has helped me to achieve this goal is that I strive to have a meaningful conversation with each student every day. Sometimes I ask students how hocket tryouts went, or how dance is going, and other times I talk to students about a shared interest we have, or things happening at home. Each conversation makes my connection with each student that much stronger, and allows the student to see me as a trusting adult that they can confide in.
- This goal has become self-evident to me through the praise I have received from my cooperating teacher, and university supervisor and discussions about how far I have come. Just recently I was observed for the last time by my university supervisor and he told me he had nothing negative whatsoever to say about my lesson, and that my confidence in teaching has absolutely excelled since the beginning. Hearing this makes me feel so proud of myself for what I have been able to accomplish. In addition to that I have also noticed in myself that about the beginning of October was when I finally became comfortable with the classroom and students, and was able to carry on conversations and teach with ease (no red face, or stuttering!!).
- Everybody deals with constructive criticism, but I think that if you are able to listen and take what is said "with a grain of salt" and apply it in the future that it makes you a better well-rounded individual. Everytime I have sat down to have a conference with Kim (my cooperating teacher) or my university supervisor I have been prepared to hear constructive criticism, and readily eager to prove myself the next time. Throughout my observations this is one aspect from my university supervisor that I have been continually praised for. He has told me that my willingness to listen and adjust is very valuable to employers, and in addition makes his job easier.
- Here is a goal that has been hard to meet, and I know that I have not fully met it yet either. I feel that if I had more time with my class that eventually I would be able to get the right book to the right child at the right time; however, it is difficult to find the time in the day to sit down and talk to students about their individual book choices, and come to a joint agreement on what books they should be reading. However, I do realize I cannot criticize myself too much because there are a large number of students in my class who I have seen succeed and develop a stronger love for reading.
- This goal is evident in that my resource tub that I brought into the classroom is now bursting with ideas, lesson plans, and additional resources to help me in my future classroom. My thanks and appreciation goes out to Kim, and all the other teachers at Baxter Elementary who have provided me with my abundance of resources.
- I feel that out of all the goals I set for myself that this one is one of the most important! During conferences I felt like I was able to talk with parents about what I had seen with their child, and Kim and I were able to ask about things they do at home to help their children succeed. In a few of the conferences I was able to tell parents areas where their child struggles, and areas where they exceed. That coming from me, I felt like the parents respected me more as a student teacher, and that they were able to understand how much time I put in with their children to make them better learners. Overall I feel that this greatly impacted the strong relationship that I have with a majority of the student's parents. In addition to that I have felt the parental support behind me throughout my student teaching, as I communicate with parents almost on a weekly basis. I have had many parents tell me that they think I am doing a wonderful job, that their child loves me, and that they wish me the absolute best as I look for a career. This really means a lot to me and shows that I have worked hard to build strong relationships.
- This is another goal where I feel if I had more time in the classroom that I would be able to implement it effortlessly. There are so many resources available to students who struggle and just coming in to the teaching field I know I have a lot to learn.
- With this goal I feel that I have learned much more about the RTI tiers and the process it takes to refer a child for an intervention or special education services. I have seen firsthand many different interventions occur, and have been able to voice my opinion with other teachers on appropriate interventions to try. I look forward to finding out more about ther RTI process, and learning new interventions to try as I begin my new classroom.
I have had so many meaningful experience that have truly touched my heart during my time student teaching.
Just the other day I had one that really touched me as an educator. I was walking down the hallway with my lunch and some papers to make copies when one of my students (a special education student who has behavior issues) saw me walking and his eyes lit up as he excitedly said "Miss Olson! Can I have a hug?"
Coming from this student I was taken aback by his impulsivity as this is something he never does, but I graciously said " Of course you can have a hug."
As I bent down to give him a hug he closed his eyes and had the complete look of adoration on his face as he hugged me. He then said "Thanks so much Miss Olson, I really needed that." After he walked away I stood there stunned for a moment at what had happened, and felt happy and proud that I was able to provide a positive part to this students' day.
One other meaningful experience out of the many I had happened one day when I was teaching a writing lesson to the whole class. I had all the students surrounding me on the floor and we were talking about changes that happen in our lives. I had brought up to students that in a short time they would be experiencing a change with my leaving the classroom once my student teaching was done. I was in the process of telling them how sad I would be to leave them behind, and that I was looking forward to possibly subbing in the school so that I could see them again. Many students raised their hands while I was talking, and I called on one little girl with a sad expression on her face who asked if I would please apply to be a 5th grade teacher at the middle school so that I could be their teacher next year. As she said this all the student were nodding their heads enthusiastically, and voicing their thoughts as well. I also had another little boy ask me why Kim, and I couldn't just share a job so that I would never have to leave them. This really made me realize the huge impact that I have on these student's lives, and just how hard it will be to leave them behind when I complete my student teaching.
Later on that same day I was talking with a one of the student's parents after school and telling them about what had happened in class. The parent looked at me and said that her child loves me as a teacher, and would love to have me again, and that if I needed any type of recommendation in the future for a job to not hesitate to call. Again this made me realize the impact I have not only on my students but also on their families. As an educator hearing these things make me feel proud of the profession I have chosen, and lets me know that I made the right choice in choosing to affect lives in a positive way.
